Customer Reviews

I Rant, Therefore I Am

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

If you like Dennis Miller on HBO, you will of course enjoy this book. I rarely get a chance to see his show so this book was perfect for me.

When Miller was making headlines this summer with his addition to MNF I thought I'd get his latest rants. I was glad I did. The thing I like about this book is that you can pick it up at anytime and have yourself a good laugh. Each chapter is only 4-5 pages long. You don't have to remember what you read the last time you picked up the book because each chapter is a different rant.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it is all from the tv show. So there is no original material here. If I happened to have seen that episode the book isn't quite as funny.

Overall, if you are a Dennis Miller fan, it is definitely worth the price. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong!

I often listen to long unabridged audiobooks (usually in the car) of titles I simply don't have time to otherwise read. Between those long titles, I enjoy taking a breather to enjoy a shorter, punchier audio, like a four-cassette mystery anthology or a one or two tape comedy production. "I Rant, Therefore I Am" was a fun example of the latter. Funny stuff, here. I especially enjoyed the way Miller varied his rants' subject matter between lofty topics like the war on drugs to everyday stuff like pets. And I had to smile when I heard that Miller wasn't above doing a rant about a topic covered by nine hundred comedians nine hundred and ten times before: the trials and tribulations of air travel (it was one of the funnier rants, too). A minor quibble is that one or two rants should have been done again from the top due to a frog suddenly materializing in Miller's throat halfway into a rant (though even this was a bit fun, as it generated entertaining suspense as we wonder if he will make it to the end before his voice TOTALLY breaks up). Also, there were one or two instances where the dramatic emphasis was placed on the wrong word, thus weakening the strength of the punchline. But again, this is minor stuff, which somehow even contributed to the organic feel of the piece, reminding us that it's a real guy out there complaining about all this stuff. I didn't mind that the tape is abridged, either. The weaker rants from the book were left behind, leaving us with Miller performing aloud all the good ones. Survival of the fittest, after all!

You know, the voters recently over-looked a war-hero and a comedian seeking the write-in vote in favor of two untalented sons of power. Now I don't mean to get off on a rant here, but it's clear to me that Dennis Miller is the only person in this country (besides John McCain) with enough common sense to occupy the upcoming vacancy in Bill Clinton's bachelor pad.

This guy has wit and wisdom on everything under the sun in an oratory style that has every aspiring comedian taking furous notes. He balances topics like "The Need for Reason" and "The End of Accountability" with whimsical musings on "Talk Shows" and "Pets." I can't find anything lacking here. Even the music is better than in "Ranting Againt." Seriously folks, this is a better buy than the IPO of a joint venture by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and King Midas.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

It's a good book, but unlike George Carlin's and Chris Rock's books (which have added extras not featured in their respective HBO specials) these are just the Rants. Nothing more, nothing less.

Dennis Miller is busy on "Monday Night Football" making Chick Hearn and Keith Jackson look like giants of accuracy, but he's still in the intentional humor business. "I Rant, Therefore I Am" is funnier and less grating than his last two rant books. With chapters running three or four well-spaced-out pages, this is definitive bathroom reading material. The book covers the Clinton probe and impeachment period at the end of the century, and it already plays like a time capsule. ("The only time the buck stops in the Clinton administration is when it's rolled up and jammed into the stripper's G-string."). Check out Miller's right-on-the-money take on the, um, climax of real estate transactions. Or country music. Or bad taste. It's best taken in small doses, though: Miller and his writers work at stretching their format about as hard as the president trying to round up that key piece of evidence for the Whitewater boys. At one point Miller even wails: "Sorry, I'm officially out of similes." He should try something original, something fresh, maybe something like the last line of this review. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I almost got into a car accident I was laughing so hard listening to these rants.

If you are a cynic in search of a good belly laugh, this is the book for you. While not as hysterical as the original Rants book this one sure does pack a punch. Its a quick read (about 2 hours) and an even better pick me up. I highly recommend it and look forward to more in this series.

A very quick read that can be read 2 pages at a time. Love DM!

The book is 208 pages long and is divided into 52 different commentaries or "Rants" as Miller (The former host of Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update") calls them. Each rant is devoted to a particular topic. The rants (all of which are recycled from Miller's show) all begin with Miller saying, "Now I don't want to get off on a rant here" and conclude with "Of course that's just my opinion. I could be wrong".

The rants cover a wide range of topics from The Oscars to College Life to The War On Drugs and Country Music. Miller delivers them in a style that works just as well on the page as it does on a stage in front of an audience. Often when stand-up comics try to transfer their routines to book form, the attempt falls flat (IE: George Carlin's "Napalm And Silly Putty"). Miller's commentaries wouldn't be out of place in a Dave Barry/Tony Kornheiser column.

What's especially good about Miller is that while comedy is his trademark, a lot of times he offers up some words of wisdom. Here are a few examples:

"Maybe the reason Republicans are so pro-gun is because they need them to constantly shoot themselves in the foot".

"Compared to Clinton, eels are Velcro. But as reprehensible as he is, we love him".

A couple political samples there. Another good one is his commentary on The War On Drugs where he sets out to be funny and succeeds, while at the same time making a strong case for a commonly held viewpoint among many that the drug war is bogus.

The humor is, for the most part, consistently funny throughout the book. There are a few moments where Miller starts to go overboard with (...) jokes and (...) references. But the majority of the humor is dirty funny, not dirty and stale.

The only real drawback that I can think of about I Rant Therefore I Am is the fact that some of the more overly topical references now seem somewhat dated. Does anyone out there really care about the 1998/1999 Oscars anymore? Did they even care about them in the beginning?

I Rant, Therefore I Am is a good light read that's just the right length. If you want to see sacred cows become hamburger, pick up a copy of it. Another Amazon quick-pick recommendation is a fun novel called THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez

There's something comforting about reading these rants instead of watching them. I found that by reading them, I was able to hear and absorb all of the razor sharp barbs. The problem is that Miller is so erudite and so damned funny that when you listen to him, you find yourself just getting what he said two lines ago as he goes on and on in his rant. Reading them will give you a better appreciation of his rapier wit. I agree that this selection is a bit "sweeter" than some of his early and more bitter rants. But he still calls a... a ... and skewers many aspects of our society, all of which deserve skewering. You may not always agree with him, but most of us can find the humor and perspective refreshing. As for his amazing use of simile, Virgil and Homer beware -- rarely have I seen simile put to such good use.

As others have mentioned, these are "bite-sized" rants, so this is a good book to pick up and put down. It was a bit much reading it all in one sitting as I did -- I'd recommend spreading it out over a week or so. Very sharp!